Steam News has word that an updated version of the Just Cause 2 demo is available (as of yesterday). The new demo for Avalanche Studios' sandbox action game adds a benchmark along with some bug fixes (thanks StaQuix). The complete change list follows.

Changes in the demo patch include:

Added benchmark (available from the main menu)

Localization fixes.

New MSAA options added.

Problem with CUDA water while using SLI configurations fixed.

SSAO intensity tweaked.

Bokeh option not shown when it isn't supported.

Helicopter controls functional when re-entering a spinning helicopter in mid-air.

SpectralMeat wrote on Mar 20, 2010, 15:45:I am having trouble applying that patch to disable the clock in the demo. It keeps saying the demo is not running or something, but it is running and I am in the game.

? I've got a small folder that I just throw into the root of the demo folder, and it sets the clock to 24 hours rather than 30 minutes. Not sure if that's what you're using.

SpectralMeat wrote on Mar 20, 2010, 13:20:Well the Crysis engine comparison is a bit of an unfair one though because Crysis does render a lot more stuff than the JC2. Also in Crysis pretty much everything is destructible in JC2 not so much.

Regardless I got something like 32-33 fps as average in JC2 benchamrk with everything maxed (no blur) 4xFSAA and 16xAF at 1920 x 1200 res. I also run Win7 x64 with GTX280.C2D-E8400 @3Ghz, 4Gram. I haven't tested Crysis yet, don't have it installed, been a while since I've played that, but I bet my fps will be a lot lower with maxed settings.

Yeah, I figured Crysis does render more, that's why I'm curious to see how JC2 will behave in the heavily forested areas.

Just in case someone's interested, I turned SSAO to high, and my average FPS only dropped to 71, but rather than run between high 50s to low 120s, it ran between high 80s with an occasional 100 to the low 40s.

And I honestly can't tell the difference. Except that when I turn SSAO on, and I drive at high speed, I get a weird graphical corruption right in front of me. (sort of like a checkered flag effect that runs the width of my screen.)

So that's just going off.

Fuck, I want the real game already! I've been tooling about in the demo for like 20 hours.

Well the Crysis engine comparison is a bit of an unfair one though because Crysis does render a lot more stuff than the JC2. Also in Crysis pretty much everything is destructible in JC2 not so much.

Regardless I got something like 32-33 fps as average in JC2 benchamrk with everything maxed (no blur) 4xFSAA and 16xAF at 1920 x 1200 res. I also run Win7 x64 with GTX280.C2D-E8400 @3Ghz, 4Gram. I haven't tested Crysis yet, don't have it installed, been a while since I've played that, but I bet my fps will be a lot lower with maxed settings.

Creston wrote on Mar 20, 2010, 03:37:Just ran that benchmark. Everything turned to high/on/max. 2xFSAA, 16xAF. Only thing that I turned off is that SSAO (whatever that is).

Quad Core 3GH.4GB RAM.Radeon 5850.

Avg FPS 82.12.

Wheeee!

Creston

NiceWhat OS and res.

Duh.

Win74 Home Premium - 64.1680x1050.

Off topic : It just shows what a terribly unoptimized piece of SHIT the Crysis engine is. At approximately the same equivalent of settings and details (pretty much everything on at max, except for motion blur since I fucking hate motion blur), at the same res, WITHOUT AA, Crysis runs at 20-45 FPS. The benchmark GPU demo runs at 37FPS average, scaling between ~ 30 to 45 FPS.

The JC2 benchmark, WITH AA and AF turned on, sits between 59 and 123 FPS. And I personally find JC2 to be a prettier game.

Obviously Crysis has to render far more trees and stuff, and I expect JC2 will slow down in heavily forested areas, but it's still just kicking the everlasting SHIT out of the Crysis engine.

The game just looks too cartoon'ish. I can't find myself immersed in it. Also, I don't like how when you go backward the guy turns around and runs toward you. They should have added a first person perspective for PC users.

It's hard to judge JC2, since I've only played the small demo, but just from that, and from the trailers, I think it may wind up just taking the overall crown. It will depend a bit on whether there's a lot of missions that are unique. Just going into towns and blowing up some gas stations will get old pretty quick. If they've got 30-40 odd interesting missions in there, I think it will just rule the open world crowd.

I'd personally put Saints Row 2 higher up the list. It's honest and successful in its intent to provide mindless and over-the-top entertainment, and it's fun. I found GTA4 to be tedious most of the time by comparison, which was disappointing. Didn't try Just Cause, and I can't try Just Cause 2 on my antique XP rig so for all I know it could be the second coming.

I had to download the JC2 demo 3 friggin' times as the first two ended up being corrupt. You'd think that by 2010 they could have found a way to check the integrity of a file before you hit the Download button...JC2 is good but I'm still fond of GTA4 and Mercs2, even though the latter could seriously be awarded 'Best of Show' in BugFest '09...Far Cry 2 still stands only because it's so easy to get into...and out of...at least on my system...

=-Rigs-=

Not a bad list there. Id almost say id agree with your order here minus Mercs 2 and JC 2 since I never played it. But seeing your list inspires me to believe this could be a cool game.

I had to download the JC2 demo 3 friggin' times as the first two ended up being corrupt. You'd think that by 2010 they could have found a way to check the integrity of a file before you hit the Download button...JC2 is good but I'm still fond of GTA4 and Mercs2, even though the latter could seriously be awarded 'Best of Show' in BugFest '09...Far Cry 2 still stands only because it's so easy to get into...and out of...at least on my system...

=-Rigs-=

'Who am I?...I am the right hand of vengeance and the boot that is going to kick your sorry ass all the way back to Earth, sweetheart! I am death incarnate, and the last living thing that you are EVER going to see. GOD sent me.'

Having fun with the first one on the xbox360 that I bought for 7.00, but it looks like total crap compared to others of it's age and type - so I am pretty excited about the 2nd iteration of this VERY FUN game.